Visit The Gothic St Vitus Cathedral In Prague
St Vitus Cathedral in Prague is a fantastic Gothic cathedral that dominates the skyline of Prague Castle. The cathedral is visible from most of the city, with its distinctive spires poking out above the castle.
Visitors to the cathedral need to purchase a ticket for entry. However, it is free to have a look around the outside. This is one of the top tourist attractions in Prague, for excellent reasons.
Prague Cathedral is a fine example of Gothic architecture and the largest and most important church in the Czech Republic. This dates back to the year 930; however, they started building the present cathedral in 1344.
Best Viewpoints to See The Exterior Of St Vitus Cathedral
St Vitus Cathedral is a stunning building and can be seen from many parts of Prague. These are some of the glorious spots for getting a photograph.
The courtyard in the castle complex is an ideal place to take a photo or selfie of the outside of the building. It’s a lovely courtyard; however, it can get busy. If you want a great photo, visiting early can be fruitful with fewer people about.
The Royal Garden offers great viewpoints from which you can photograph the castle and the cathedral spires. The bridge that leads past the nearby castle guards is also a picturesque spot.
The front entrance and façade are impressive, and it’s also a very popular spot for visitors to take selfies and photographs. It can get congested at busy times. However, at quieter times, the passageway from the second courtyard is a great spot to view the cathedral’s facade.
The outer walls have some interesting features to spot as you wander around. Getting up close can be interesting, including seeing some statues. This is a sandstone statue of St John of Nepomuk, the patron saint of Bohemia.
What To See Inside St Vitus Cathedral in Prague
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The interior of the cathedral is beautiful and a fascinating place to look around. The stained glass windows are impressive, as are the columns on either side of the nave.
Tomb of John of Nepomuk
One of the most striking features of the cathedral is the tomb of John of Nepomuk. They buried John of Nepomuk here, and his tomb is the heaviest silver sarcophagus in the Czech Republic.
It’s basically 1600 kg of pure silver. John of Nepomuk was the saint of Bohemia, who was drowned in the River Vltava under the orders of King Wenceslas IV.
Stained-Glass Windows
There are lots of stained-glass windows to see, telling a variety of stories and being fantastic works of art, too.
The circular stained glass window above the main entrance is impressive to see from the inside. They call this the rose window or the rosette. Frantisek Kysela designed the rose window between 1925 and 1927. The rose window depicts scenes from the biblical story of creation. This was one of the last parts of St Vitus Cathedral to be completed in the 600 years it took to complete.
Saint Wenceslas Chapel
One of the many chapels in Prague Cathedral is the Saint Wenceslas Chapel. The chapel is beautiful, and they consider it to be the pride of St Vitus’ Cathedral. It is a masterpiece of Czech Gothic art and is dedicated to the patron saint of the Czech lands. Charles IV created the chapel to honour St Wenceslas, and it remains pretty much unchanged.
It’s an important place, and during every coronation since, kings have started by praying in the chapel. Each year on the 28th of September, they host a mass here to commemorate St Wenceslas Day. A notable part of the walls is decorated with over 1300 gems. This chapel is well worth a look when visiting.
Organ
A feature I often look out for when visiting cathedrals is the pipe organ. The organ is pretty special and nicely framed by the Gothic architecture. The upper part of the organ is Baroque and dates from the 16th century. However, the lower part is from the early 20th century. Sadly, I didn’t get to hear this one play, but I imagine it would be special.
Altar of St Anne Chapel
Another feature inside is the St Anne’s Chapel, which has a beautiful Gothic altar. The altar has 3 marble saints, the central one being St Anne. The chapel also has some frescoes and other artefacts.
Climb The Towers of the Gothic Cathedral
You can also climb the cathedral’s tower if you like. This requires an additional ticket, which you can purchase at the castle’s ticket office. This is a panoramic viewpoint for the city to see the castle from above.
Tickets for St Vitus Cathedral
Visiting St Vitus Cathedral is part of the circuit ticket for the Prague Castle complex. Inside is nice and informative, with lots of things to see. The stained glass and decor are special. One popular way to explore the cathedral and the rest of the site is with a small-group tour.
Can Dogs Visit?
You can walk around the outside with a dog and even visit the cafe nearby. However, the inside of the cathedral is not dog-friendly. If planning on seeing inside the Gothic cathedral, you will need to leave the dog at your pet-friendly accommodation.
There are a few other rules displayed on signs by the cathedral’s main entrance.